Nava Newsletter Sept 11-17 2017

Our 6-Week Fall Schedule starts TODAY!! Yeah! Sarah kicks off the schedule with today’s Yoga for Men class, with some vinyasa classes later in the week; Leanne continues with her Gentle Yoga class plus a strengthening noontime class; and we welcome Robin to Nava Yoga this year, who will be teaching Hatha Yoga. Julie will return from tour to teach after this 6-week schedule, and Greg will return from Hawaii in Jan 2018 to teach for the Winter schedule.

Of special note, Leanne will offer a gentle yoga class at 8pm on Sunday, Sept. 17th in honour of Kristin Johnston. She was a yoga teacher based out of Halifax who was murdered by a romantic partner in March of last year. Sunday would have marked her 34th birthday. We are asking for a donation of $10 (or more) and the proceeds will go to The Haven’s Come Alive (www.thehaven.com) bursary program. Please let us know if you plan on attending, and if the interest is very high we may need to find a bigger venue or offer 2 back-to-back classes. Leanne is honoured to help celebrate the beautiful life of this woman whose life was tragically cut too short.

We’d like to continue with weekly newsletters to remain connected with you, let you know of specific class details, and include features like exploring key elements of yogic texts, mantras, “Pose of the Week”, etc. Feel free to email navayogainfo@gmail.com should you have any specific requests for these additions!

One final note regarding class punch cards. The current policy has them expiry 1 year after the date of purchase. This isn’t changing. However, we currently have many cards that are over this 1 year time frame. These card holders have until the end of this current 6-week schedule to use them entirely, after which time the cards will be discarded.

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YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI (Greg)
I thought I’d start the supplemental section of the newsletters with Patanjali’s definition of yoga. (This feature completely flamed out after the birth of my daughter…sorry!):

(Chapter 1, Sutra 2)
Yogas chitta-vrtti-nirodhah
“Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind.”

As noted in a long-ago newsletter, the “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” is a foundational text that describes the process of yoga as the union of the little egoic “self” with the absolute “Self”. This process involves the dissolution of who we *think* we are (e.g., the body, the mind, the emotions, the intellect) into who we *really* are. And who we really are cannot be adequately described with words; it cannot even be thought of accurately–it is a directly embodied experience.

The mind has been described as a drunken monkey stung on the tail by a scorpion (i.e., it is erratic, changing constantly). While the mind usually projects itself loudly and obstructively, it is actually of an extremely subtle nature, as anyone who has experienced prolonged periods of meditation can attest. As the mind chatter diminishes, however, and one begins to focus on fewer objects, the movement from concentration (dharana) to meditation (dhyana) occurs, ultimately leading to complete absorption (samadhi). The oft-used analogy of samadhi is like falling asleep; it happens naturally and is a state that cannot be forced or thought into.

In spiritual circles like yoga there can be a tendency to “spiritualize away” that which is unagreeable to us by believing things like “This is all an illusion”, “None of this is real”, “It’s God’s will”, et cetera, implying that our actions are inconsequential. Note, however, that yoga is a process that is only successful when one dives deeply into their own self to uncover everything that one is not. This process will be difficult at times as we are confronted with the power we’ve given our attachments and aversions. Though challenging, this process reveals the grace of our unique, divine expression. And only then, it is said, do we have true choice of how we wish to act and live. So, in this spirit, may we all journey and support each other to become the True Self.